Plasma medicine is a new and rapidly developing area of medical technology. Specifically, understanding the interaction of so-called atmospheric pressure plasma jets with biological tissues could help to use them in medical practice. Under the supervision of Sylwia Ptasinska from the University of Notre Dame, in Indiana, USA, Xu Han and colleagues conducted a quantitative and qualitative study of the different types of DNA damage induced by atmospheric pressure plasma exposure, the paper is published in EPJ D as part of a special issue on nanoscale insights into Ion Beam Cancer Therapy.

The harvesting of microalgae in commercial applications has been intensely studied across various science and engineering disciplines, as these bio-friendly organisms offer a range of improvements for and have significant potential in the production of food supplements, environmental remediation, biofuel production, animal feed production and wastewater treatment. The Laboratory at the Chinese Academy of Sciences led an experimental investigation to improve the conventional microalgae harvesting technique.

Like other areas of the body previously thought of as sterile, the female breast harbours a unique microbiome or population of bacteria. Both beneficial and pathogenic bacteria are present and there are preliminary indications that that the levels of E. coli may be higher in cancerous breasts. These are the main findings of a new study published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology from researchers in Canada and Ireland.

Persons with bipolar disorder, previously referred to as manic depressive illness, are more likely than others to possess superior leadership skills at an early age. The same is true for their siblings, and later in life siblings are overrepresented in professional leadership roles, especially in politics. This has been shown in a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated that vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) can be manufactured using ambient air, making the manufacturing process safer and less expensive. VACNFs hold promise for use in gene-delivery tools, sensors, batteries and other technologies.

Conventional techniques for creating VACNFs rely on the use of ammonia gas, which is toxic. And while ammonia gas is not expensive, it’s not free.

The Atlantic razor clam uses very little energy to burrow into undersea soil at high speed. Now a detailed insight into how the animal digs has led to the development of a robotic clam that can perform the same trick.

The device, known as “RoboClam,” could be used to dig itself into the ground to bury anchors or destroy underwater mines, according to its developer, Amos Winter, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

The amount of physical activity undertaken by mothers has a direct association with the levels of physical activity of their pre-school children. However, in the UK mothers are falling far short of the recommended levels of physical activity, which therefore has consequences for the levels of activity of their children. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal Pediatrics on March 24th from researchers in the University of Cambridge, University College London and the University of Southampton.

High-Speed railway lines have been constructed across the globe, allowing both people and freight to get to their destinations in a timelier manner. The high demand for faster cross-state and cross-country travel has necessitated upgrades to existing railway infrastructure in order to meet the more intense loads imposed by these speedy trains.